1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to pontoons, and particularly to a system and the process for connecting pontoons at sea.
2. Discussion of Background
Pontoons have been utilized for various military and commercial purposes. In one application, a plurality of pontoons are connected together to form a barge, which can transport cargo from ship to shore or from a ship to a pier. A barge can include, for example, an array of three by three or three by five pontoons. While two pontoons can be connected aboard a ship transporting the pontoons, due to space limitations, additional pontoons must be connected in the water.
Conventionally, each pontoon will include a plurality of connector sites, and the connector sites of adjacent pontoons are aligned with one another manually. Connectors are then inserted between connector sites of one pontoon and an adjacent connector sites of the other pontoon, thereby coupling the two adjacent pontoons together. While such a manual alignment and connecting procedure is sufficient under calm sea conditions (e.g., up to one foot waves), it is not possible to manually align and connect pontoons under rougher sea conditions, such as sea state 3 conditions (five to six foot waves). Under rough sea conditions, it is impossible to manually control the pontoons to align connector sites, and damage to the pontoons or injury to the crew can result when the pontoons collide.
Accordingly, a system and process is needed which allows pontoons to be aligned and connected under rough sea conditions.